Is it reasonable to regard zero impact posts (ZIPs) as failures in any way? If so, does this mean that the ZIP list serves to highlight failures and therefore ridicule authors?
Certainly, the ZIP series has never regarded ZIPs as failures, nor has the series ever mocked the efforts of authors. Yet, there are some Kossacks who have expressed concerns about these matters, and because of their concerns as well as because this is a fascinating topic in its own right, I have chosen to dedicate this edition to explain why, in my opinion, the ZIP list is not a failure list.
Zero Impact Posts (ZIPs): April 28-11, 2012
Welcome to the tenth edition of "Zero Impact Posts" (ZIPs). If you missed the first edition, you may want to read it in order to learn about the many positive aspects of ZIPs and thus the inspiration for the ZIP series. See the fourth edition for the raison d'etre for the ZIP series.
According to jotter, during the Apr 28th week and the May 5th week, there were 2761 posts, of which 2680 received recommendations and 1622 had more than 9 commenters.
And according to me, there were only 19 posts that have had no recommendations and no comments so far to date. As many of these posts may have gotten lost in the rapids of the Recent Diary List or perhaps required a niche reader to appreciate them, many of them may have the potential for impact, even great impact. In that spirit, they are presented below.
Remember, it's never too late to recommend a post. In fact, since the series began, some posts are no longer ZIPs, as they have been recommended after having been discovered from the ZIP list. The writing in the stone is that one day a post will appear on the ZIP list, to be rescued by Community Spotlight, and then be on the rec list for the longest time in Kos history. The impact will be progressive Democratic super majorities for decades to come, heralding a century of peace and prosperity, rivaling the legendary age of King Arthur and Camelot.
Rollovers: To see the first few words in a post, rest your cursor momentarily over the post title. To see the full name of each category, rest your cursor over the category letter in the "cat" column. In general, wherever you see underlined text, you can rest your cursor over the text for more info.
The Dark Side of ZIPs
Given the lighthearted way the series began, it may surprise you to know that there is a dark side to ZIPs and the series that covers them.
But from the very beginning, there have been occasional murmurs and exclamations, arising out of a steady undercurrent of foreboding regarding the potential for negative impact by the series. It would certainly be tragically ironic if the series that celebrated zero impact eventually led to a doomsday event.
Well, I may be getting carried away with this characterization of the percolating negative sentiment. So, let me just provide you with some actual quotes (in chronological order):
if they were really smart they would delete those suckers. I know I delete my stinkers.
by live1 on Sun Mar 04, 2012 at 11:44:49 PM CST from the 1st edition
... when you choose to create a feature like ZIP, you actually run the risk of silencing voices that might otherwise be heard because of the fear of being ridiculed in a post like this at a site like this that otherwise styles itself as a sort of open forum. I get that there are lame or self-serving diaries that show up on my screen (did I mention that I've been around here a long time?), but I don't get the purpose of a "series" on Zero Impact Diaries other than to encourage those who don't have 4 or 5 "signal strength" bars on their profiles to refrain from posting diaries...
by Jack K on Sun Mar 11, 2012 at 11:37:13 PM CDT from the 2nd edition
I don't know what an unpublished ZIP is but shpilk and MKSinSA should not be listed as "zero impact post" type folks. And I haven't seen anything from whatGodmade to indicate a troll.
by bronte17 on Sun Mar 18, 2012 at 11:36:38 PM CDT from the 3rd edition
Seems like it could be workable...but I'd hate to work my butt off and post a diary...and then make that list. Yikes!
by Hedwig on Sun Apr 22, 2012 at 01:08:09 PM CDT from High Impact Posts after the 7th edition
Have you considered how those who wrote the diaries in your example feel, after seeing you point out their so-called failures?
by Agathena on Sat May 05, 2012 at 04:03:20 PM CDT from the 9th edition
The Dark Side is Only Imaginary
Fortunately, this dark side is not really an aspect of ZIPs, but rather an aspect of the way they are often perceived — as vessels of content without value. Perhaps, people are thinking that if the content had any value, then surely within 24 hours of posting, someone would have rec'd or commented. If viewed in this way, it is easy to see how highlighting such a post could be regarded as highlighting a failure, thereby ridiculing the effort and its author.
Missed Posts
Yet, since the series began, several posts on the ZIP list have been recommended, proving that ZIP-listed posts can be ones that just got missed, rather than ones that deserve to be missed as sometimes believed. Here are a few explanations of why a post may get missed:
- Post has had few viewers.
There are ZIPs with as little as 5 views, and for all we know, all 5 of those views came from the author just checking to see if there were any comments. That's right. There may be posts with effectively 0 views before scrolling off the Recent Diary List. Though I'm sure that this is very rare (if it ever happens), the point is that just because a few viewers were not inspired at all does not mean that the post is inherently ineffectual.
- Post has not had the right viewers.
Though there may be plenty of views, it's possible that these readers were just the wrong ones for the post. One way this could happen is if the post's title and first words were misleading.
- Post has content that is not of general interest, but rather "niche" interest.
The topic is of interest to some users, but these users have not yet seen the post. One example are topics on local phenomena (e.g., news, events, elections, charities, issues) that may interest those who live in the area. Another example is an unusual post, which was discussed in the 5th edition "Rare Readers and Peculiar Posts" in the context of Gertrude Stein's nonsense poetry.
Uncounted Impact
In addition to missed posts, there are certainly many posts on the ZIP list that have had impact that has not been counted, which can happen for various reasons:
- Post has tips, tweets, and shares.
Some stats (i.e., tips, tweets, shares) are not considered by jotter's High Impact Post series, and I have so far not been considering those either. E.g., in the second edition, there was a ZIP that had 1 tip, 3 tweets, and 9 shares (but no comments or recommendations).
- Post has been viewed by people without a DailyKos account.
Many posts are found by on-line searches or from other websites. If a person finds the post via Google or a link from another website, and if this person is not a Kossack, then they cannot rec the post. Also, the "view" count does not increase either.
- Post has successfully influenced viewers, but these viewers have not recommended or commented.
Some posts act as promotions (e.g., ads, flyers) for various events (e.g., meetings, radio shows, fundraisers) or for something else (e.g., websites, charities). These promotions may succeed in getting people to respond (e.g., by coming to a meeting), but maybe these people don't always recommend or comment. Other posts may successfully inform viewers or influence them in some other way, but for whatever reason, these viewers have not recommended or commented.
Cross-Posted Impact
Some posts have content that is duplicated elsewhere and has had impact in those other locations. E.g., in the 4th edition, there was a ZIP titled "Clout: A Blogfest on Art and Political Power. Part 6: Barry Hessenius". This was a cross-posted article with a link back to the site that the article was originally posted. On the site of the original article, there were 4 comments. Also, the same author had another very similar cross-posted article that has had only one rec, but had 20 comments on the original site.
Summary
For various reasons, posts can have good content, even though they may have had no impact (as commonly measured) in the first 24 hours after publication time. Given that ZIPs can have good content, the ZIP list does not represent failed efforts to produce impactful content. Thus, there is no dark side to ZIPs or the series.
Zero impact may be undesirable, but the ZIP series can help.
The previous section explained that ZIPs are not necessarily failures in the sense that they are failed efforts to produce quality content. But in another sense, can they be considered failures for not having the impact that was desired? Here are some alternative perspectives:
- Impact is delayed.
Putting aside the possibility of uncounted impact, there is also the possibility that a post could be recommended later, such as from the ZIP list. In fact, it's possible that a 10-year-old ZIP could suddenly be discovered by many Kossacks and then wind up on the rec list (although that does seem improbable).
- Impact is not the goal.
Another possibility is that people are not always writing for impact. Sometimes, they just want to express themselves, from which various benefits may accrue: emotions were calmed, thoughts were clarified, new ideas were imagined, and writing skills were improved.
- Low impact posts are inseparable from high impact posts.
The following adage may apply: "If you want to double your success rate, you have to double your failure rate." Failure is inextricably linked with success. Many ZIPs are from authors who have had other posts that were very popular. These authors may just accept that ZIPs and low impact posts are part of the blogging experience.
On the other hand, some authors are likely to be a tad disappointed when there is not some activity around their post. For these people, the ZIP series can help by rescuing the post and presenting it once again for the readership. Also, the ZIP series can provide ideas to help avoid ZIP eventualities in the future.
Is the rec list a success list?
Here are some relevant quotes from a post titled "Ignore the Rec List to Get The Most Value Out of Daily Kos" published by Ray Pensador on Aug 16, 2011.
... in reality, most of the time and for whatever reason, there is little correlation between the quality, importance, and substance of the diaries and their appearance in the rec list, or the number of tips, or comments. ... I've read many very interesting, informative, and well-written diaries that only got a few comments and recs (for whatever reason).
[What you write] could be picked up by a radio or TV host, or it could inspire somebody, or provide solace to someone who's going through a hard time, or even start a social movement. Who knows. The written word can be very powerful.
The reason I mention that is to encourage anybody that feels passionate about something and likes to write and share their ideas, thoughts, suggestions, and interests, to keep writing diaries regardless of whether they get on the rec list often (or not), or whether they get lots of comments, or tips.
In other words, high impact does not necessarily mean it is your cup of tea, and also low impact does necessarily mean it is weak brew.
By the way, this featured post (which contains the above quotes) also has some helpful tips for both readers and writers.
The Sunny Side of ZIPs
Some of these quotes would be more aptly described as "partly sunny", but they're still sunny:
Great. Something else to work for. Cool idea, actually. Might catch some worthy stuff that got no love.
by Crashing Vor on Sun Mar 04, 2012 at 11:44:49 PM CST from the 1st edition
Fun - a light hearted way to do meta, and some very wholesome reflections on why public attention is not the be-all and end-all of life (Daily Kos is life, right?).
by Wee Mama on Mon Mar 05, 2012 at 09:11:14 AM CST from the 1st edition
I like it. Has social value. I am sure that I have the capability to win a ZIP award in the future.
by mrsgoo on Sun Mar 11, 2012 at 10:54:58 PM CDT from the 2nd edition
There are some real nuggets that get missed in the fast and furious hubbub. For those things that were sadly overlooked, great service! For those one should never have seen at all, uh, great service?
by MKSinSA on Sun Mar 11, 2012 at 10:55:56 PM CDT from the 2nd edition
... I like this series because it has called my attention to some diaries I missed, and rather obviously, so did everyone else. Some worth ignoring, and maybe some that were deserving of more attention than they got.
by Otteray Scribe on Sun Mar 11, 2012 at 10:56:01 PM CDT from the 2nd edition
... [the purpose is] to give posts that don't get views a second chance - not to denigrate or ridicule the poster.
by Actbriniel on Mon Mar 12, 2012 at 05:09:44 AM CDT from the 2nd edition
It is never too late to Rec a diary. ... From the diarist's point of view, maybe late recs can be encouragement that while-on-the-recent-list diaries could not gather because the wrong eyes saw them. imho the ZIP series is a force for good
by 2thanks on Mon Mar 12, 2012 at 12:56:55 AM CDT from the 2nd edition
Thank you for this. I read the first diary off the list already...Honoring Justice...and I am glad that I did so. Hope that this helps some worthy but overlooked efforts get a second look.
by Notthemayor on Mon Mar 12, 2012 at 04:16:50 AM CDT from the 2nd edition
Thank you. I periodically look for zero or low impact posts, lest a new poster have worked his or her heart out on something but gotten now traction due to lack of name recognition or being shoved off the scroll. This is another way to mine for hidden finds.
by marykk on Mon Mar 19, 2012 at 05:54:04 AM CDT from the 3rd edition
...some of the diaries are really good...just overlooked...maybe some could be helped by nomandate's New Diarist group.
by Glen The Plumber on Sat Apr 21, 2012 at 11:38:01 AM CDT from J Town after the 7th edition
Great stuff! Treating an interesting and worthwhile subject with both humor and respect.
by jotter on Sun Apr 22, 2012 at 02:09:46 AM CDT from the 7th edition
ZIPiddy doo dah. I wish to draw your attention (unless, as seems likely, I'm once again the last to know) to a new-to-me series, the Zero Impact Posts lists, currently appearing weekly. I think these are great! The discussions and concerns addressed in the diaries and in the comments remind me of some similar discussions around the origins of the HIP lists, low these many years ago.
by jotter on Sun Apr 22, 2012 at 12:48:57 PM CDT from High Impact Posts after the 7th edition
These are a great service to the community. I have been looking forward to the next one.
by mrsgoo on Sat May 05, 2012 at 12:23:42 AM CDT from the 9th edition
Summary
So, rest easy. There's no need to fear having your post on the ZIP list. There's no need to fear that the impact of the ZIP series could be devastating to authors, the site as a whole, or the planet. There's no need to fear having a ZIP.
IMO, there is much that is good about ZIPs and to the extent that lack of impact is perceived as a problem, the ZIP series can help remedy that, by presenting posts once again to the readership and also by providing helpful ideas for authors.
Yet, the series has many meanings, as expressed by many Kossacks over the first nine editions. You're welcome to your own interpretation and to express it in the comments below. Although the topics of the weekly editions are governed by the whims of editors (heretofore just me), it is also true that the ZIP series is an unfolding story with myriad possible paths it may go, and your comments can have influence in this shared adventure.
So, let us explore our ZIPs, a hitherto unexplored, underwater cave in the land of Kos. As we do, any darkness will surely give way to light and serve to illuminate us all. Let us explore then, with anticipation of the gems that we may find, rather than fear of the unknown.
Past editions of the ZIP series:
1)
Positive Aspects of ZIPs - March 2nd
2)
Categories of ZIPs - March 3rd week
3)
Unpublished ZIPs - March 10th week
4)
Raison D'etre for the ZIP Series - March 17th week
5)
Rare Readers & Peculiar Posts - March 24th week
6)
Readability & Potential Impact - March 31st week
7)
Readability & Writers & Readers - April 7th week
8)
You are not your Kos stats - April 14th week
9)
Post Title and First Words - April 21st week